https://www.condorspeedshop.com/blogs/news.atomCondor Speed Shop - News2018-10-16T19:00:00-04:00Condor Speed Shophttps://www.condorspeedshop.com/blogs/news/spectoberfest-iii-this-saturday-october-20th-20182018-10-16T19:00:00-04:002018-10-16T19:34:43-04:00Spectoberfest III, Saturday October 20th, 2018Carlos Mendez
Join us for Spectoberfest III! Our annual BMW meet at the Iconic Sebring International Raceway this Saturday, October 20th. We'll be kicking it off with goodie bags for the first 50 attendees. We'll also be raffling off two $250 NASA Gift cards, two $50 Gift Cards from Apex Alignment, Condor parts & swag, and many other items every hour throughout the day. You can enjoy Spec E30 racing action, at speed ride-alongs, on-track parade laps, and much more.

Join us for Spectoberfest III! Our annual BMW meet at the Iconic Sebring International Raceway this Saturday, October 20th. We'll be kicking it off with goodie bags for the first 50 attendees. We'll also be raffling off two $250 NASA Gift cards, two $50 Gift Cards from Apex Alignment, Condor parts & swag, and many other items every hour throughout the day. You can enjoy Spec E30 racing action, at speed ride-alongs, on-track parade laps, and much more.

Spec E30 race schedule:

8:55 am Warmup

10:50 am Qualifying

1:45 pm Race 1

4:00 pm Race 2

Ride-Along Schedule: If you want to ride-along in a race car on track, you need to be 18 years old. You will need to show up to the tent on pit road and sign up 5 minutes before the times posted below. You also will need to sign a passenger waiver form.

9:40 am

11:35 am

2:40 pm

5:05 pm

Parade Laps: If you want to take your car out on track and be a part of the parade laps during lunch NASA has asked that all participating drivers be NASA Members. You have 2 options. Option 1. Sign up for a NASA membership. This costs $45 and can be done online beforehand or at the track. There will be signup forms available at the Condor tent. If you go this route you will also recieve a $45 Condor Gift Card good for any order above $100 or a $45 NASA credit good for any NASA track event. Option 2. Ask a registered driver/racer to drive your car.

]]>
https://www.condorspeedshop.com/blogs/news/e30-bushing-comparison-stock-vs-condor2018-09-06T16:18:00-04:002018-09-06T16:21:55-04:00E30 Bushing Comparison - Stock vs. CondorCarlos Mendez
The idea was to take a mostly stock e30 to the track, run the fastest lap possible, bring it back to the pits, change out all the rubber bushings and mounts for the Condor parts and go back out to see how much of a difference they made. Doing this the right way was no easy feat. We wanted to do the entire comparison test on the same day to get the most accurate comparison possible. We borrowed a 1989 325i sedan which was mostly stock...

We tried something that's never been attempted before - to see the timed lap difference between Condor bushings and stock bushings in an e30 on the same day. The idea was to take a mostly stock e30 to the track, run the fastest lap possible, bring it back to the pits, change out all the rubber bushings and mounts for the Condor parts and go back out to see how much of a difference they made. Doing this the right way was no easy feat. We wanted to do the entire comparison test on the same day to get the most accurate comparison possible. We borrowed a 1989 325i sedan which was mostly stock other than a front strut brace, Bilstein shocks, H&R Sport springs, Condor stainless steel brake/clutch lines, Motorsport Hardware 90mm studs & nuts, and a Condor short shift kit. We prepped the car with Redline transmission and differential fluid and Motul RBF 600 brake fluid. We chose a 200 treadwear street tire, the Nexen N FERA SUR4G in a 225/45ZR15 size for the test. A team was assembled, and the comparison was planned around a competition NASA time trial event at Palm Beach International Raceway. Our stig for the day was Victor Leo, an experienced racer who's driven everything from circle track cars to 800 HP Ariel Atoms on track. He took the car out for the first session of the day and his best time was a 1.41.171. He pulled the car back into the pits and our team got to work. Every rubber bushing and mount was replaced in favor of a Condor version. The entire swap was done in a matter of hours. Watch the video to see how it all unfolds.

]]>
https://www.condorspeedshop.com/blogs/news/product-review2018-07-12T11:59:00-04:002018-07-12T11:59:14-04:00Product ReviewCarlos MendezMore]]>
Drifter Micah Diaz comes by to check out the shop and talks with us about some of the products we manufacture and the benefits of using them on your track car.

]]>
https://www.condorspeedshop.com/blogs/news/the-truth-about-spec-e30-camber-plates2018-04-25T19:20:00-04:002018-04-26T12:03:30-04:00The truth about Spec E30 Camber plates.Carlos Mendez
I have never driven on the new coil-overs before this weekend, and I have to say I absolutely love them. The car feels much more precise at the limit. The weight transition is smooth and predictable. The tires feel like they're working even harder than before. My car still feels very neutral at the limit, and when the back end steps out, you can bring it back easily and controllably (probably due to less weight transition). In turn, 17 at Sebring where I used to feel the front left shock bottoming out with the old suspension, now there's no more bottoming out...

As we all now know, due to limited shock travel and the soft spring rates of the H&R race springs, spec e30s were often on the bump stops. Now that we have stouter springs the problem is less severe but still not prevented. If you raise the car above the old ride height, shock travel improves but is still limited due to the bump stops. We installed a set of the new coil-overs on the #12, the middle car in the photo above and did the old zip tie trick. The zip ties kept sliding off the tops of the shocks under hard braking. We kept raising the car until they didn't slide off and found that the car had a 4x4 ride height, just like the car on the right.

We didn't like that, so we reached out to GC to see what camber plate options there are for us. They were nice enough to compare the plate thickness of the three different e30 camber plates they sell. The first set is the spec e30 plate designed for stock springs, and the other two plates are designed for coil-overs. (We will ignore the middle plate since it won't provide as much shock travel as the thinner version on the right.)

The GC coil-over plates are designed with a "cupped washer" allowing the actual camber plate slider to rest on the spring hat. The original Spec E30 plates use a zinc plated teepee style insert that sits on the spring hat. This difference between the two is where we gain the most clearance for more shock travel.

The "original "spec e30" camber plate thickness is 52.14mm measured from the bottom of the spring hat to the top of the top plate.

The slimmest coil-over camber plate measures 37.59 mm measured from the bottom of the spring hat to the top of the top plate.

That's 14.55 mm of ride height that adjustment that we can gain by using the new camber plates. These measurements were taken with the spring hat in place. Now let's take a look at the "sliders" only without the different top plates or the spring hats.

The new coil-over slider is on the left side, and the original spec e30 slider is on the right side. Notice the difference in the shoulder height between the two.

The next photo shows both sliders are sitting flat on the same surface that the shock shaft rests on. The difference between the two tops of the sliders is distinct.

The next photo shows them with the steel top plates.

Notice that they are both sitting flat on the surface that the shock shaft will be sitting on, so the distance to the top of the top plate is exactly how much shock travel would be gained when converting from the original design to the new design. How much travel are we gaining with the new design? Take a look below.

We are gaining 17.44mm (.687 inches). This is even more than we originally thought!

We installed them before heading to Sebring. We didn't change the coil-over ride height, and the car sat so low after installation that we raised the ride height by one turn on the adjuster for fear of damaging the oil pan. At the track, the #12 was the lowest Spec e30 of the 15 car field.

I had never driven on the new coil-overs before this weekend, and I have to say I absolutely love them. The car feels much more precise at the limit. The weight transition is smooth and predictable. The tires feel like they're working even harder than before. My car still feels very neutral at the limit, and when the back end steps out, you can bring it back easily and controllably (probably due to less weight transition). In turn, 17 at Sebring where I used to feel the front left shock bottoming out with the old suspension, now there's no more bottoming out, although the car tends to hop/bounce a lot more through 17.Overall, I'm really happy with the new setup and wanted to share our findings with you all.

Option 1. Aluminum Top Plates - All aluminum camber platesOption 2. Steel Top Plates - Same camber plates with steel top plates.Option 3. Conversion Parts - Use your old plates to convert to the new design.

]]>
We've added E36 Sedan Polycarbonate Door Windows to our catalog. This is a six piece window replacement kit that takes the place of the stock glass. You'll see a 50% savings in weight. The small triangular rear door windows are permanently installed in the doors. Each of the sedan door windows slide into the OEM rubber window frames and are held in place with the included pins. You can easily pull the pins and pop them out for your track session.

Use them while your car is in storage, or to keep your track car dry on rainy days. We use them to keep the dust and dirt our of our cars when towing to and from the track on our open trailer.

]]>
https://www.condorspeedshop.com/blogs/news/condor-speed-shop-congratulates-carlos-mendez-for-an-incredible-drive-to-be-the-2017-nasa-eastern-states-spec-e30-champion2017-10-27T16:24:00-04:002017-10-27T16:27:43-04:00Carlos Mendez wins the 2017 NASA Eastern States Spec E30 Championship!Carlos Mendez
Mendez was able to stay composed under pressure and finish well in the first two qualifying races. He started in P2 for the championship race among 32 other drivers, taking the victory in the highly competitive Spec E30 class, winning by a slim margin over Dan Goldburg and Brian Edmonds.

]]>
Condor Speed Shop congratulates Carlos Mendez for an incredible drive to be the 2017 NASA Eastern States Spec E30 Champion! Mendez was able to stay composed under pressure and finish well in the first two qualifying races. He started in P2 for the championship race among 32 other drivers, taking the victory in the highly competitive Spec E30 class, winning by a slim margin over Dan Goldburg and Brian Edmonds. The #12 Spec E30 was set up with almost every part in the Condor Speed Shop catalog, including all the suspension bushings, engine and transmission mounts, brake guide bushings, brake & clutch lines, our tall weighted shift knob with shifter bushings, powersteering delete, brake backing plates, and more... all available for the e30 chassis!

]]>
https://www.condorspeedshop.com/blogs/news/hardness-chart-for-condor-speed-shop-uhmw-bushings2016-11-17T23:27:00-05:002016-11-17T23:27:36-05:00Hardness chart for Condor Speed Shop UHMW BushingsCarlos Mendez
A simple chart comparing the hardness or our UHMW bushings, 68D, to that of standard polyurethane bushings. Our bushings and mounts are able to absorb more vibration and transmit less NVH than the "hardest" 75D polyurethane bushings of two different competitors currently in the market.

Join us for the inaugural ‘Spectoberfest’ BMW meet at the Iconic Sebring International Raceway on Saturday October 1st. We'll be kicking off with at speed ride-alongs, on-track parade laps, Spec E30 racing action & a dinner social on pit road.

Join us for the inaugural ‘Spectoberfest’ BMW meet at the Iconic Sebring International Raceway on Saturday October 1st. We'll be kicking off with at speed ride-alongs, on-track parade laps, Spec E30 racing action & a dinner social on pit road.

When I hear SPEC E30, I tend to think of a bunch of old dirty 80s cars trying to make it around a track. I think of bumping, rubbing and the smell of dirty fuel in the air. Well it's exactly what I thought and more, in the best of ways.

When I hear SPEC E30, I tend to think of a bunch of old dirty 80s cars trying to make it around a track. I think of bumping, rubbing and the smell of dirty fuel in the air. Well it's exactly what I thought and more, in the best of ways.

This past weekend I had the fortunate chance to attend a local NASA event where eleven SPEC E30 cars registered to run. If you’re a motorsport fan of any kind these events are gold. Everywhere I turned there was another car that caught my eye or wanted to check out. Although I liked almost every race car that I came in contact with, my heart belongs to BMW particularly the E30 chassis. So with an invite from Carlos of Condor Speed Shop to hang with the shop, I had to check it out.

The opportunity to head to Sebring is awesome by itself, but add 11 track ready E30s to the mix and it becomes amazing. Arriving to the paddock was nothing short of special either, seeing the Condor and MAD crews as well as the other E30s set up in a semicircle of a makeshift shop.

After a quick hello the crews had their heads back on the race to come. This gave me a chance to look around and poke my head in a few places.

I chatted it up a bit with different drivers and soon found out the reason for the makeshift shop. One of the newer cars to the class found out that their clutch was gone during the qualifying laps. Well all the teams were able to lend a hand or donate a part when possible and had it race ready with the clutch changed out before the first heat. This is the kind of thing that drew me to the condor crew over 8 years ago when autocross was the main event.

Well, it was time to race. After some last minute strategy and race line suggestions, the guys and gals suited up and strapped in. Although these E30s are capable of being street legal, they are also race prepped. Equipped with roll cages, fire suppression and race seats, safety is a big part of racing and it shows. With engines started, each team took their turn to head to the starting grid where I raced to see them off.

Let me tell you, there is nothing more glorious than eleven M20s revving up just before a race. With start time approaching four different classes were lead onto the track. Corvettes, Mustangs, a Ferrari, some Miatas and of course the E30s all run at the same time. This was going to be great.

Once the parade lap was complete the green flag flew. For the next 30 minutes these cars would be battling it out. I quickly jumped in my car to move from vantage point to vantage point. First stop was turn 17 where the cars carry a lot of speed coming off the back straight and wow, it looks just as rough as it seems in the video games. The cars come so close to the wall during their exit that it had me on my toes with nervousness.

Once they had a few laps down it was time to change viewing areas, this time I took a short drive down to the inside of turn 1. The first turn has such a cool backdrop. As the race cars head down the straight towards the turn, you look directly at the grandstands with the hot pits below.

Again, after some more laps it’s time to move. My last and final stop was between turn 6 and turn 7. A small mound of dirt provides just the right amount of height to see clearly all the way back to turn 5.

To me, it’s a great spot to view some good racing, with a couple of turns, acceleration and braking all in one area. Once the last lap rolled around I headed back to the paddock.

One by one the cars were all weighed at impound and released back to their respective paddock areas. I hung around a little more to shoot the breeze but my time at Sebring was coming to an end.

With the smell of R-compound tires in my nose and the buzzing of open exhaust in my ear I had to say my goodbyes. My day was short lived but it made a permanent mark on my memory. The hospitality of the crews made me feel welcome and wanting more. I think I will be back, only next time my E30 will be ready to run.

]]>
https://www.condorspeedshop.com/blogs/news/101572417-sebring-track-record-in-a-spec-e302016-05-08T13:26:00-04:002017-05-05T20:07:56-04:00Sebring Track Record in a Spec E30Carlos Mendez
So it's been a little over a year now, and C. Mendez still holds the Spec E30 track record at Sebring International Raceway in the #12SE30. Take a look at the record breaking lap.

]]>
https://www.condorspeedshop.com/blogs/news/11791805-condor-on-instragram2014-01-22T21:20:05-05:002014-01-22T21:29:24-05:00Condor on InstragramCarlos Mendez
Not sure if you guys know, but we are on instagram. Look us up, condorspeedshop, to follow our builds and other projects!

We've finished our solid BMW e36, e46 & Z4/M Rear Trailing Arm Bushings(RTABs)! These bushings are designed for the street and the track. You will be able to corner faster and get the power down earlier at corner exit.

We chose UHMW(we use it in all our suspension bushings) because it is stiff, has almost zero deflection yet also absorbs some vibration. It will outlast other types of rubber or urethane bushings. We've added steel plates to each side to prevent lateral movement between the bushing material and the aluminum rod. When driven hard on the street or on the track, the rear trailing arms are exposed to extremely large lateral forces. Polyurethane and rubber bushings will deflect and slide, causing your rear alignment settings to change mid-corner. With our bushings, you won't have to worry about dynamic changes in your toe settings, the rear alignment stays in check during hard cornering, braking, and acceleration.

]]>
https://www.condorspeedshop.com/blogs/news/7817661-were-pleased-to-announce-our-newest-condor-part-solid-uhmw-m10-motor-mounts-for-the-mighty-bmw-20022013-05-05T17:03:34-04:002013-05-05T17:11:01-04:00We're pleased to announce our newest Condor part. Solid UHMW M10 motor mounts for the mighty BMW 2002.Carlos Mendez
This is for all of you 2002 owners out there! We're pleased to announce our newest Condor part. Solid UHMW M10 motor mounts for the mighty BMW 2002.These were successfully tested in a high horsepower 2002 last weekend at Sebring International Raceway!

]]>
https://www.condorspeedshop.com/blogs/news/7696051-condor-has-added-blunt-tech-as-an-exclusive-retail-partner2013-04-14T19:34:30-04:002013-04-14T19:34:30-04:00Condor has added Blunt Tech as an exclusive retail partner!Carlos Mendez
Condor Speed Shop has become the premier source for solid motor mounts and suspension bushings for the BMW marque these days... We've partnered with Blunt Tech, the web's best source for OEM replacement and performance parts for all BMW models. Blunt Tech is fast becoming the top retailer in the world of automotive replacement parts. The customer service oriented retailer offers affordable and top quality parts to the discerning shopper. Built on a solid foundation, Blunt Tech is now the exclusive retailer of Condor Speed Shop products!